Today was a lazy day. And a thinking day. Today I had to start figuring out all the bills that we have that we need to get caught up on now that we have some extra money come in. Most of it is going to catch us up on utilities and internet, getting ahead on the mortgage and paying for the dog's dental cleaning and teeth extractions. I also have to make a payment to the dentist as I am getting a crown put on in January 2015. Though I did not manage to get a shower, I did get dressed and made the bed. I went through my email, checked out Living on a Dime newsletter on how to budget, get organized and clean. I got some tips and helped me see things in a new way about keeping your house organized and clean. It said that having a dirty house and it being unorganized actually costs you money. By not finding things, you have to spend money to buy more of the same stuff, over and over again, light bulbs, batteries, pens, and other things like important stuff. I have lost important house papers and keep losing my social security card. I lost my birth certificate! A dirty house costs you money in bad health from germs and injuries if you trip and fall over things. Food spoils faster in a dirty refrigerator with old food in it, and you don't use up your leftovers because you can't see everything in the fridge because it is too full.
I talked to my mom today, I try to talk to her every day or every other day at the latest. My mom just turned 69 and my dad is 70. A while ago I knew that if I didn't take the time to talk to my mom while I had her, when she eventually passes, I will have missed the opportunity to know her. And then were will I be. Though both my parents are in good health, nobody knows when our time is up. God says to honor our mother and our father and I know no better way to honor them then to stay in touch, visit, help and talk. My parents are active and show bulldogs. They have 3 of them and will be breeding their youngest bitch in the spring. When Lacy has her litter, they plan on keeping one of the females and showing that one too. They bought a new house last year and plan on fixing it up and working in the yards during the spring and summer. They have already done quite a bit this past summer. Right after the first of the year, they will be painting all the inside, including the ceilings. They are doing a lot to their house and I haven't made any improvements to ours. Makes me feel kind of bad, but hey! We will get there. Eventually, as I don't have the energy my parents have. Or the discipline. But I am working on it.
I was thinking of New Year's Resolutions today. I was reading about them in the Living on a Dime newsletter and it was telling. The definition of a resolution is to change something to it's simplest form. And they said you didn't get a dirty and unorganized house in a short time and it may take you as long to get it clean and organized. Something like that, and I copied it and put it on my facebook page so I could remember it for the new year. All I really remember is I didn't end up this way overnight, and slow and steady, I will get to be better.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
Today was thinking day. Thinking because it is becoming the end of month and the end of the year, 2014. I turned 50 this year, I made progress in therapy, progress in attitude toward housekeeping, progress in decluttering my house. We refinanced the house and got my name on the title, too. Most of the good stuff that happened, happened in the later half of the year, it seems. Could just be the way the later half of the year just stands out to me, it happened closer so seems more important. Frankly, everything seems to have happened over the last month. Today we got in our last check refund we were expecting so off it went into the bank. We will use it to pay a month of mortgage payment, pay for the vet to extract some teeth from Cookie, our fox terrier/besenji, she is 7 years old, catch up our utilities and internet, pay other bills, pay for the first month of my therapy - I have to pay full price of $65 a session until my $800 deductible for my new insurance is met. Maybe we will use some money to have a will made as one of our new benefits is legal services so we should use it. If we don't do it now, we will do it soon. We need to see what all is involved in setting up a trust for me if hubby passes away. Anyway, something to plan for sometime this year. Or maybe we should take the check and pay 2 mortgage payments with it, then use the money we get on the third Wednesday of the month that we would normally pay the mortgage with to pay all the bills. Oh well, I will work it out tomorrow. We have plenty of bills with which to be paid.
Tomorrow I will set up our budget and plan out a menu for the next couple of weeks. I cancelled my therapy session because tomorrow it is going to continue to snow and the roads are coated in ice. I have lost my confidence in driving on ice since I stopped working several years ago and no longer were required to go out in it. So I called Steve today and left him a message and he called me back and said "Smart move.", so I have no reason to go out tomorrow. Tomorrow I plan on definitely getting up, showered, dressed in one of my new leggings, and going downstairs. And I think I will have some hot chocolate. Sounds good! But I am going to work on clearing my craft room so I can tell hubby if he needs to bring home more boxes. Can't tell him if I don't fill up what I have first.
Everybody is getting sick with the flu! My father has come down with it over Christmas and Cassie came down with a stomach flu. And on the news I heard they had to quarantine the VA nursing home and hospice because they came down with 27 cases of the flu there. Lucky for us, hubby appears to be well and I am doing great!
One of the goals hubby and I have for the new year is joining Weight Watchers as a couple. We would go to Saturday meetings. This is something we have to figure out in the budget when we can afford it. But we have decided to make exercising and eating right a priority. This includes walking the dogs on good days. Getting to a healthy weight for the whole family is a good goal. That and writing on a regular basis.
Tomorrow I will set up our budget and plan out a menu for the next couple of weeks. I cancelled my therapy session because tomorrow it is going to continue to snow and the roads are coated in ice. I have lost my confidence in driving on ice since I stopped working several years ago and no longer were required to go out in it. So I called Steve today and left him a message and he called me back and said "Smart move.", so I have no reason to go out tomorrow. Tomorrow I plan on definitely getting up, showered, dressed in one of my new leggings, and going downstairs. And I think I will have some hot chocolate. Sounds good! But I am going to work on clearing my craft room so I can tell hubby if he needs to bring home more boxes. Can't tell him if I don't fill up what I have first.
Everybody is getting sick with the flu! My father has come down with it over Christmas and Cassie came down with a stomach flu. And on the news I heard they had to quarantine the VA nursing home and hospice because they came down with 27 cases of the flu there. Lucky for us, hubby appears to be well and I am doing great!
One of the goals hubby and I have for the new year is joining Weight Watchers as a couple. We would go to Saturday meetings. This is something we have to figure out in the budget when we can afford it. But we have decided to make exercising and eating right a priority. This includes walking the dogs on good days. Getting to a healthy weight for the whole family is a good goal. That and writing on a regular basis.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Today was an unexpected day. I woke up to my daughter calling, telling me she and her fiance were leaving her home now and coming out to visit. We are about 2 hours away so I rolled over and went back to sleep. About an hour later I woke up and processed to eat some breakfast and get dressed. Then I got a call from her fiance that they were in a Conico Gas Station and Cassie was in the bathroom spewing fluids and she was very sick. He wanted me to tell her to go home, so I told him to call me when she came back to the car. She did and I did then they went back home so he could take good care of her. Sad, but she was in good hands. That left the day for hubby and I to relax and play with the dogs, and for him to watch the Bronco's game on tv. I joined him and played on the computer while he watched the game and talked about it. We had a good time and his team won.
He spent time in the kitchen making a rare roast beef for us, with potatoes and carrots. Now beef doesn't always taste good to me anymore. I can't eat crumbled hamburger because of the texture anymore and pork just doesn't taste good. Chicken is good if it's not dry. The homemade chicken pot pies I made taste really good to me, but I can't just eat that though I am willing to try. But the roast was good and I was able to eat half a piece and some potatoes with brown gravy.
The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly in each other's company.
He spent time in the kitchen making a rare roast beef for us, with potatoes and carrots. Now beef doesn't always taste good to me anymore. I can't eat crumbled hamburger because of the texture anymore and pork just doesn't taste good. Chicken is good if it's not dry. The homemade chicken pot pies I made taste really good to me, but I can't just eat that though I am willing to try. But the roast was good and I was able to eat half a piece and some potatoes with brown gravy.
The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly in each other's company.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Today was a shopping day! We got a refund check in from our old insurance and we deposited in and decided to go out, visit the new Goodwill Thrift Store and then go see a movie. I took back the black pants I bought that were too tight and took hubby to look at sport coats. We found one that is a little long in the sleeves but fit him well and I found some new leggings and several tops. There were lots of this new space game so we bought a couple for presents and one for us. I almost got a yogurt maker but there were no lids for the jars so we put it back. We left with plenty of time to stop at Burger King and get some lunch before the movie.
I was only able to eat about half my burger and some onion rings. I decided to drink some regular Coke instead of tea, which I have been drinking so much of at home, so Coke was a treat! Hubby tried their new A1 burger and the burger was bigger than the bun! He liked it. He got onion rings, too.
We next went to the movie theater but found out that the movie we wanted to see was only playing in one theater and was full so we went to American Classic Marketplace instead. It is a place that rents out booths to people or cases to people who fill them with vintage or homemade things. I found some more vintage inspired aprons, some Dr Seuss books I have never seen before, some movies and a few other things. Hubby said I went crazy but I assured him I didn't, but we did spend the check we got in the mail! The last thing hubby said to me about it was "Merry Christmas!"
When we got home, we fed the animals, cleaned up a little and then I settled in with a new book I picked up at the thrift store, Diary of a Mad Bride. A humorous book about a woman trying to plan a wedding on a limited budget in New York City. I thought after I finish reading it, I would give it to Cassie so she could have a laugh about planning her own wedding in October.
I was only able to eat about half my burger and some onion rings. I decided to drink some regular Coke instead of tea, which I have been drinking so much of at home, so Coke was a treat! Hubby tried their new A1 burger and the burger was bigger than the bun! He liked it. He got onion rings, too.
We next went to the movie theater but found out that the movie we wanted to see was only playing in one theater and was full so we went to American Classic Marketplace instead. It is a place that rents out booths to people or cases to people who fill them with vintage or homemade things. I found some more vintage inspired aprons, some Dr Seuss books I have never seen before, some movies and a few other things. Hubby said I went crazy but I assured him I didn't, but we did spend the check we got in the mail! The last thing hubby said to me about it was "Merry Christmas!"
When we got home, we fed the animals, cleaned up a little and then I settled in with a new book I picked up at the thrift store, Diary of a Mad Bride. A humorous book about a woman trying to plan a wedding on a limited budget in New York City. I thought after I finish reading it, I would give it to Cassie so she could have a laugh about planning her own wedding in October.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Boxing Day, Friday, December 26, 2014
Today was a lax day. The let down of Christmas comes today, everything I was doing was building up for this past week, celebrating Christmas with Cassie on the 21st, and with everyone else on the 25th. The surprise, our packages to our other daughters got there on Christmas Eve! And we didn't mail them until Monday so it only took 2 days to get to them. Great job, Post Office! Today is Boxing Day, a tradition my late Uncle Ed, who was British, introduced us to when I was little. It is the day extended families get together and celebrate the season and eat, exchange presents and play cards. Since we all got together on Christmas Day, and the rest of our relatives live in other states, Boxing Day is kind of a let down. Hubby had to work all day and I spent the day in my jammies, watching tv and playing on the computer. I know I am being useless but it feels so good! I didn't even read but I had a book by my side the whole day. I did feel bad about staying in the bedroom and in my jammies all day, I really felt like I should get up and get dressed. I even found a pair of jeans that fit at the thrift store the other day when I was visiting the new Goodwill down the street. I found them and bought them to cover up the sport's coat I found for my hubby that turned out to be gigantic on him! Oh well, I tried. But I can take him back to the thrift store and have him try on the rest of the sport coats and find one that will fit him. At least he liked the ties and the socks I got him.
Tomorrow is a new day and I plan on getting up, getting dressed and going downstairs. I have taken enough time off from crocheting and miss it, having something to do with my hands. It feels too weird to sit there still. I have to start walking again and I have been doing good in snacking on fruit and watching my portions when eating. The dogs just keep getting fatter and I seem to be maintaining at 198lbs. Yeah, I haven't gone over 200 pounds yet! You got to celebrate the small stuff.
Talking to one of our daughters yesterday was fun but trying to talk to our 13 year old granddaughter was like trying to get information out of a baby bird with a brick. One word answers, not volunteering of information. We even bought her her first diamond necklace this Christmas! We thought it was a big deal and she would be thrilled, but it was no big deal. I don't know why we keep trying but we will. I told her we would be coming out that way in mid-March, to see Sarah's new baby and visit Li An, Sarah's first born. We will be coming through Albuquerque, NM where they live and would like to stop and visit for lunch or dinner. Maybe we could get a motel room and go out to dinner with them. I would like to stay at Las Cruses, NM where Sarah and Bar live for 4 or 5 days. Give us a chance to get to know Li An, who is a little over one. The only problem is Bar's family is going to be there too, and I would kind of like to wait until they are gone before we go out. There are so many of them and they kind of took over Li An when we went out before. I would like to be able to help Sarah and get to know Li An and it will work out better if they were gone by then. So maybe we would wait and go out at the end of March. When it gets closer to the time, we will arrange it more exactly.
Tomorrow is a new day and I plan on getting up, getting dressed and going downstairs. I have taken enough time off from crocheting and miss it, having something to do with my hands. It feels too weird to sit there still. I have to start walking again and I have been doing good in snacking on fruit and watching my portions when eating. The dogs just keep getting fatter and I seem to be maintaining at 198lbs. Yeah, I haven't gone over 200 pounds yet! You got to celebrate the small stuff.
Talking to one of our daughters yesterday was fun but trying to talk to our 13 year old granddaughter was like trying to get information out of a baby bird with a brick. One word answers, not volunteering of information. We even bought her her first diamond necklace this Christmas! We thought it was a big deal and she would be thrilled, but it was no big deal. I don't know why we keep trying but we will. I told her we would be coming out that way in mid-March, to see Sarah's new baby and visit Li An, Sarah's first born. We will be coming through Albuquerque, NM where they live and would like to stop and visit for lunch or dinner. Maybe we could get a motel room and go out to dinner with them. I would like to stay at Las Cruses, NM where Sarah and Bar live for 4 or 5 days. Give us a chance to get to know Li An, who is a little over one. The only problem is Bar's family is going to be there too, and I would kind of like to wait until they are gone before we go out. There are so many of them and they kind of took over Li An when we went out before. I would like to be able to help Sarah and get to know Li An and it will work out better if they were gone by then. So maybe we would wait and go out at the end of March. When it gets closer to the time, we will arrange it more exactly.
Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, 2014
Today was a good day and a sad day. Hubby and I opened our presents on Christmas Eve, takes the pressure off of doing to much on Christmas Day. That was we can take our time, and only have to worry about getting ready to go to my sister's house for Christmas dinner at 2 in the afternoon. Hubby got my the jigsaw I was asking for and also the dvd of Dolphin Tales 2. He knows about my love of candles and got me one with a lovely scent. My fears about his slippers fitting was unfounded and, once he removed the cardboard from them, found they fit quite well and were immensely comfortable. He only takes them off when he goes to be or is forced to put on other shoes to leave the house. The sport's coat I got him was WAY too big and will need to be re donated to the thrift store or I may just roll up the sleeves and wear it myself. Who knows? He did like the two ties I got him and the socks. He loved the cowl scarf I made him, especially the color and he will be needing it in the morning as we are in the middle of the start of a snow storm now and expect it to only make it to the mid 20s tomorrow. I plan on starting to crochet again tomorrow to make some more cowl scarves for hubby's Etsy shop.
Hubby and I went and picked up my niece and her boyfriend to take over to my sister's place to have Christmas dinner at 2 this afternoon. Everyone was in a good mood and I was clam, thanks to taking an anxiety pill before coming over. My niece was sober for once and seems to be trying to get her life back on track. She is living with her boyfriend and says she has gotten a job and soon they will be moving to an apartment closer to the middle of town. She was on her best behavior today and made a suitable impression on everyone. We were all glad to see her in a much better state since the last time we had seen her.
Dinner was good, prime rib, turkey and a ham. Various side dishes and we brought pumpkin bread, banana bread and brownies for desert. Presents were exchanged and conversations were had. Hubby and I had a good time and left to drop off niece and her boyfriend before heading home. The dogs were waiting for their dinner and I was waiting for my nap.
The sad part of the day came when I called my daughter to see how her Christmas day went with her fiance and his family. Before she had called me in the morning, she had called and gotten her step-mother's voice mail. she left a cherry message and asked them to call her back and as it was after 9pm, she was weepy with sadness that her father had posted a lot on facebook about the visit of his step-son and his wife and child but never called Cassie back. She and Drew are supposed to be going over to her father's house to celebrate Christmas tomorrow but she said she would like to confront her father but probably won't as it will be awkward if she did. My poor baby! She has a fool for a father! I wish there was more I could do.
Hubby and I went and picked up my niece and her boyfriend to take over to my sister's place to have Christmas dinner at 2 this afternoon. Everyone was in a good mood and I was clam, thanks to taking an anxiety pill before coming over. My niece was sober for once and seems to be trying to get her life back on track. She is living with her boyfriend and says she has gotten a job and soon they will be moving to an apartment closer to the middle of town. She was on her best behavior today and made a suitable impression on everyone. We were all glad to see her in a much better state since the last time we had seen her.
Dinner was good, prime rib, turkey and a ham. Various side dishes and we brought pumpkin bread, banana bread and brownies for desert. Presents were exchanged and conversations were had. Hubby and I had a good time and left to drop off niece and her boyfriend before heading home. The dogs were waiting for their dinner and I was waiting for my nap.
The sad part of the day came when I called my daughter to see how her Christmas day went with her fiance and his family. Before she had called me in the morning, she had called and gotten her step-mother's voice mail. she left a cherry message and asked them to call her back and as it was after 9pm, she was weepy with sadness that her father had posted a lot on facebook about the visit of his step-son and his wife and child but never called Cassie back. She and Drew are supposed to be going over to her father's house to celebrate Christmas tomorrow but she said she would like to confront her father but probably won't as it will be awkward if she did. My poor baby! She has a fool for a father! I wish there was more I could do.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Today was a good day. This morning I woke up before the alarm at 915am and laid there listening to my husband wake up and call his underling. The phones at work were down from the day before so he called her on her cell. When he did that, he found out that he wasn't working the later shift, going in at 1030am, he was supposed to have been at work to open the shop at 9am. So within a span of 10 minutes, we were showered, dressed and out of the house in the car! The normally 15 - 20 minute drive took 10 minutes. I got him dropped off and then headed to my therapy session with Steve. I caught all green lights and managed to make it to my therapy session with 10 minutes to spare.
In talking with Steve, we reviewed all that I have accomplished in the last several months: starting to vacuum the house, joining the Red Hat Society and going out on social events with them, making almost all the Christmas presents, working at the Zoo. Having a healthy relationship with my daughter. We discussed how to deal with our adult children, that sometimes they just want to vent and don't really want our advice so we should ask them before giving it to them. Hi daughter, would you like to know what I think? Things like that. Wished him Merry Christmas and left.
Had to go to the bank and make a deposit. Yeah! Some of the money we have been expecting is starting to come in. And across the parking lot from the bank is a new Goodwill so of course I had to go in and check it out. I found some great deals and bought a couple of pairs of pants (without trying them on until I got home so one pair has to go back), a shirt and something for my hubby for Christmas. I also got some books to read since we have fines at the library we have to pay before we can check out any more books. After I finished with Goodwill, I went to Walmart to buy a painting tray with a roller and a paintbrush for my parents and a gift card for $25 for them to get a gallon of paint. My parents will be washing walls and painting after the first of the year in their house. So I called and talked to my mom and told her hubby and I are looking at painting our house after the first of the year and were wondering where they were going to get their paint from and what they were doing. Mom told me about TSP, a cleaner that you use to wash your walls with and then you don't need a primer, like Kilz. I know my parents are giving my sister and her family a VHS/dvd player and a bunch of VHS tapes so we decided to give them VHS tapes too of older movies that we think they will like, some kids movies and some stuff for the older kids.
When i got back home, I rested for awhile and then started making my chicken pot pies. We baked the 4 pack of leg quarters a couple of days ago so all I had to do was bone the chicken, separating the skin and less choice parts of the chicken meat for the dogs. I boiled a big pot of water and added in all the chicken fat and skin to boil for a little while, to get the fat for the flavoring. After it had boiled for about 15 minutes, I took the skin out and added in a lot of chicken base. Once that was melted and the water tasted like chicken stock, I added in all the veggies and all the meat. I mixed a flour and water mixture then added it to the pot. Then I gently boiled it until it thickened. When my hubby came home, I ladled the guts of the chicken pot pie into my individual bean pot and put a Grands biscuit on top. Then into the oven they went for 15 minutes to cook the biscuit and they were done! I always make a big pot of the chicken pot pie guts and freeze a lot of it for easy dinners down the road. I usually eat one bean pot and my hubby eats two. I pre-measure it before putting it into the freezer so I will know how many to pull out later.
I got hubby's presents wrapped and put under the tree. The rest of the night we baked some breads and brownies for tomorrow and rested.
In talking with Steve, we reviewed all that I have accomplished in the last several months: starting to vacuum the house, joining the Red Hat Society and going out on social events with them, making almost all the Christmas presents, working at the Zoo. Having a healthy relationship with my daughter. We discussed how to deal with our adult children, that sometimes they just want to vent and don't really want our advice so we should ask them before giving it to them. Hi daughter, would you like to know what I think? Things like that. Wished him Merry Christmas and left.
Had to go to the bank and make a deposit. Yeah! Some of the money we have been expecting is starting to come in. And across the parking lot from the bank is a new Goodwill so of course I had to go in and check it out. I found some great deals and bought a couple of pairs of pants (without trying them on until I got home so one pair has to go back), a shirt and something for my hubby for Christmas. I also got some books to read since we have fines at the library we have to pay before we can check out any more books. After I finished with Goodwill, I went to Walmart to buy a painting tray with a roller and a paintbrush for my parents and a gift card for $25 for them to get a gallon of paint. My parents will be washing walls and painting after the first of the year in their house. So I called and talked to my mom and told her hubby and I are looking at painting our house after the first of the year and were wondering where they were going to get their paint from and what they were doing. Mom told me about TSP, a cleaner that you use to wash your walls with and then you don't need a primer, like Kilz. I know my parents are giving my sister and her family a VHS/dvd player and a bunch of VHS tapes so we decided to give them VHS tapes too of older movies that we think they will like, some kids movies and some stuff for the older kids.
When i got back home, I rested for awhile and then started making my chicken pot pies. We baked the 4 pack of leg quarters a couple of days ago so all I had to do was bone the chicken, separating the skin and less choice parts of the chicken meat for the dogs. I boiled a big pot of water and added in all the chicken fat and skin to boil for a little while, to get the fat for the flavoring. After it had boiled for about 15 minutes, I took the skin out and added in a lot of chicken base. Once that was melted and the water tasted like chicken stock, I added in all the veggies and all the meat. I mixed a flour and water mixture then added it to the pot. Then I gently boiled it until it thickened. When my hubby came home, I ladled the guts of the chicken pot pie into my individual bean pot and put a Grands biscuit on top. Then into the oven they went for 15 minutes to cook the biscuit and they were done! I always make a big pot of the chicken pot pie guts and freeze a lot of it for easy dinners down the road. I usually eat one bean pot and my hubby eats two. I pre-measure it before putting it into the freezer so I will know how many to pull out later.
I got hubby's presents wrapped and put under the tree. The rest of the night we baked some breads and brownies for tomorrow and rested.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Today was a good day and yesterday was an awesome day! Yesterday my hubby and I took the 2 hour trip out to Broomfield, Colorado to see our daughter, Cassie, and her fiance, Drew, and celebrate Christmas early. His parents, that they live with, were still in Italy so we had the house to ourselves. That was fine with me so we could focus on the kids and not be nervous trying to carry on conversation with the parents. Anyway, we arrived about 3pm and it was wonderful to see them. They were excited to see us too, and had lots of information to share. Drew was cooking his special spaghetti and was a little nervous himself, wanting to make a good impression on us. We have only met him a handful of times so the whole in-law relationship is new to both of us. We talked for awhile about his new school coming up in January, about Cassie's distillery and her sales job and how she is back working at the gymnastic place part time. Since the spaghetti was still cooking, we gave the kids their presents, cowl scarves for both of them, the photo box for Cassie and Ralph Lauren sneakers with leather and the little polo player for Drew. Drew loved the the shoes and they both put on their cowl scarves for the rest of the visit. Cassie and I sat down and went through every picture in the photo box. There was a couple of blank spots but I brought a stack of pictures that were mostly duplicates but had some pictures she didn't have so we finished filling in the photos. Some I had stories for and some I didn't but this was the first time she had seen any of these pictures of her infant and younger days. Oh, I had found a picture here or there and passed it on to her but she had never had a photo album to look back on and reflect. I thought I had lost all the photos and I had lost all of my photos of when I was growing up and a lot of other photos of Cassie but in going through the garage last summer, I chanced upon this box filled with so many photos of Cassie from the time I was pregnant to when she was 4. Pictures of her first baby sitter and the girl down the street that would watch her, a couple of pictures of when my ex and I took her to Disneyland. I even put in the pictures of her father's and mine wedding. There were pictures of her great grandparents holding her and playing with her. Pictures of her with both sets of grandparents, and several pictures of her dad's mom, her gramma, that passed away a few years ago.
We laughed and shed a few tears, I told her stories and she was so excited! She said it was the best present she ever had been given and she couldn't wait to show it to her dad. I asked her what happened to all the photos I had given her dad along with some of her first Christmas ornaments. She had never seen them so maybe he had thrown them away. Anyway she was going to go through the pictures with him and see what stories he could remember and tell her a little more about her great grandparents.
I was so nervous that she would be disappointed that I didn't buy her an expensive present or have lots of presents for her but this Christmas most of our presents were handmade and our budget was tiny. But she was so happy that I had put all the time and effort into doing something so personal for her, a gift of her past. Drew was very excited over the presents we gave him, surprised that I had gotten his shoe size correct and vowed he would wear the shoes the next day. I only hope that our other daughters and granddaughters enjoy their presents as much.
Today I got up early and went to a doctor's appointment. We have a new doctor and this was my first time following up on my diabetes and thyroid. My A1c was 6.8, which is under 7, which is good but up from my last time of 6.3 so she suggested I cut out some carbs, also my triglycerides we a little high and cutting out carbs would help to lower that. As for my weight, I was 198. She suggested that hubby and I join Weight Watchers, which we will prob do in another month or two.
The rest of the day I spent reading a new book and playing with the dogs. Soon I will start crocheting again. Tomorrow I have therapy in the morning and then have to go to Walmart to buy a paint tray and roller and a gift certificate for a gallon of paint for my parents. They are going to start painting the inside of their house after the first of the year and this will help them out. I am not going to tell them about the mutant bulldog, just try to make a new one. I know how to do the stitches now and understand how to stuff it, so all i need to do is buy another pound of yarn. I need to get pictures of their bulldogs so I can crochet their markings on.
We laughed and shed a few tears, I told her stories and she was so excited! She said it was the best present she ever had been given and she couldn't wait to show it to her dad. I asked her what happened to all the photos I had given her dad along with some of her first Christmas ornaments. She had never seen them so maybe he had thrown them away. Anyway she was going to go through the pictures with him and see what stories he could remember and tell her a little more about her great grandparents.
I was so nervous that she would be disappointed that I didn't buy her an expensive present or have lots of presents for her but this Christmas most of our presents were handmade and our budget was tiny. But she was so happy that I had put all the time and effort into doing something so personal for her, a gift of her past. Drew was very excited over the presents we gave him, surprised that I had gotten his shoe size correct and vowed he would wear the shoes the next day. I only hope that our other daughters and granddaughters enjoy their presents as much.
Today I got up early and went to a doctor's appointment. We have a new doctor and this was my first time following up on my diabetes and thyroid. My A1c was 6.8, which is under 7, which is good but up from my last time of 6.3 so she suggested I cut out some carbs, also my triglycerides we a little high and cutting out carbs would help to lower that. As for my weight, I was 198. She suggested that hubby and I join Weight Watchers, which we will prob do in another month or two.
The rest of the day I spent reading a new book and playing with the dogs. Soon I will start crocheting again. Tomorrow I have therapy in the morning and then have to go to Walmart to buy a paint tray and roller and a gift certificate for a gallon of paint for my parents. They are going to start painting the inside of their house after the first of the year and this will help them out. I am not going to tell them about the mutant bulldog, just try to make a new one. I know how to do the stitches now and understand how to stuff it, so all i need to do is buy another pound of yarn. I need to get pictures of their bulldogs so I can crochet their markings on.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Today was a wasteful day. I woke up this morning with a strange dream, I was a teenager again and I was out in the backyard. I was messing around with my bicycle when I happened to look up and see an outline of a man in our hedge. When he realized I could see him, he quickly left. At that moment I knew he had been watching me and knew how to get into our house by my secret way. About this time, evil squirrels came into the picture, we were hunting evil squirrels. From inside a van. I wrote all this in my morning pages.
I finished my book and I worked on my shawl for a bit but got bored with it. I took a nap and then didn't do much else except wait for my hubby to come home. He took our daughters' presents to his office to wrap and pack the boxes for shipping. They won't go out until Monday and will be a little late but we did our best. The only thing I did today was cook some chicken leg quarters so I can make chicken pot pie on Monday. I have to bone the chicken, simmer down the skin and bones and add veggies and stock. I saved the chicken fat that cooked off to add to it for body. After I get the stock to a good taste, I will add the chicken and veggies. Then I thicken the pot pie innards. After it has cooked for a while, I will measure it out into individual bean pots and put a Grand's Biscuit on top. See, my hubby doesn't like pot pie crust so I use a biscuit. He really likes my chicken pot pies.
I have had a feeling of desolation today. Not sure why. Now that I am not working on Christmas presents, I am at a loss of what to do during the day the last couple of days. I need to start crocheting more cowl scarves to put on my hubby's Etsy shop. I make the stuff and he sells it. I do it for therapy and he makes sure we don't get inundated with stuff, again. This also applies to vintage stuff that I find and store in the garage. We can list that stuff in his store also. I have to go through stuff in the garage and get him stuff to list in the store. Have to see what I am not using and get rid of a lot of stuff, mostly during the spring and summer.
Tomorrow we are taking a drive up to Broomfield to go see my daughter, Cassie, and her fiance, Drew and take them their Christmas presents. They are making an early dinner for us and we will visit. His parents, who they live with, are in Italy right now, looking at real estate to rent for when they move there in a month or two. When Drew and Cass get married next year, his parents are going to come back for the wedding and then, as their wedding gift, will fly Cass and Drew to Italy to stay with them for two weeks. Neato!
I finished my book and I worked on my shawl for a bit but got bored with it. I took a nap and then didn't do much else except wait for my hubby to come home. He took our daughters' presents to his office to wrap and pack the boxes for shipping. They won't go out until Monday and will be a little late but we did our best. The only thing I did today was cook some chicken leg quarters so I can make chicken pot pie on Monday. I have to bone the chicken, simmer down the skin and bones and add veggies and stock. I saved the chicken fat that cooked off to add to it for body. After I get the stock to a good taste, I will add the chicken and veggies. Then I thicken the pot pie innards. After it has cooked for a while, I will measure it out into individual bean pots and put a Grand's Biscuit on top. See, my hubby doesn't like pot pie crust so I use a biscuit. He really likes my chicken pot pies.
I have had a feeling of desolation today. Not sure why. Now that I am not working on Christmas presents, I am at a loss of what to do during the day the last couple of days. I need to start crocheting more cowl scarves to put on my hubby's Etsy shop. I make the stuff and he sells it. I do it for therapy and he makes sure we don't get inundated with stuff, again. This also applies to vintage stuff that I find and store in the garage. We can list that stuff in his store also. I have to go through stuff in the garage and get him stuff to list in the store. Have to see what I am not using and get rid of a lot of stuff, mostly during the spring and summer.
Tomorrow we are taking a drive up to Broomfield to go see my daughter, Cassie, and her fiance, Drew and take them their Christmas presents. They are making an early dinner for us and we will visit. His parents, who they live with, are in Italy right now, looking at real estate to rent for when they move there in a month or two. When Drew and Cass get married next year, his parents are going to come back for the wedding and then, as their wedding gift, will fly Cass and Drew to Italy to stay with them for two weeks. Neato!
Friday, December 19, 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014
Today was a relaxed day. Last night I finished the last cowl scarf for Christmas, figured out presents for everybody except my daughter Cassie. I need one more present for her. I tried to distress the photobox but it's not coming out that well. I will just give it to her as is. Wrapping it is going to be fun! Tomorrow I have to wrap all the presents for them and get ready to go up Sunday and be up there about 3. Maybe we will go earlier so we can get home before it gets too dark. Tomorrow I will call and see if one of Laura's kids can come over and watch the dogs for us. We will pay them $20.
Since I am done crocheting for Christmas, and I was done putting pictures in the photobox, I spent the day watching tv and reading. The inspector came over from the homeowner's insurance, Amica, saw the inside of the house and took pictures of the bathrooms and the fireplace. Then Holly came over and brought me sand paper and colored sharpies to distress the photobox and number the dowels in each drawer. I got to show her all my pictures and she oohhed and ahhed at them.
Hubby had stayed home sick on Monday, suffering from back spasms so has been working 10 hour days all the rest of the days and I have missed him. He came home at a reasonable time tonight and we got to spend some time together. Life is good and God is great!
Since I am done crocheting for Christmas, and I was done putting pictures in the photobox, I spent the day watching tv and reading. The inspector came over from the homeowner's insurance, Amica, saw the inside of the house and took pictures of the bathrooms and the fireplace. Then Holly came over and brought me sand paper and colored sharpies to distress the photobox and number the dowels in each drawer. I got to show her all my pictures and she oohhed and ahhed at them.
Hubby had stayed home sick on Monday, suffering from back spasms so has been working 10 hour days all the rest of the days and I have missed him. He came home at a reasonable time tonight and we got to spend some time together. Life is good and God is great!
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Today was a productive day. I got up this morning, did my morning pages and got ready to go see the bankruptcy attorney about the bankruptcy, otherwise known as the Big B. Hubby and I were expecting to go and sign the papers so the attorney could file them and we would be protected from some creditors that have judgments against us and have been trying to get money from us. But, with the refinance, we were due some refunds from our old homeowner's insurance company and from our old car insurance company. Because the house refinance has a 3 day lemon law, they have to wait for 3 business days before the loan will get funded from the time we signed the paperwork on Saturday. So the old homeowner's insurance company got paid in full, $2100. Calling them today, I cancelled the insurance and told them to issue us a refund. They said no problem and the check will be sent out and we should receive it in about 2 weeks. Then I talked to our new homeowner's insurance company and added our cars onto our policy and used the discount we get on having a multi-line policy to fund the car insurance. Then I called the old auto insurance and cancelled with them and asked for a refund, which they said will take about 2 weeks.
Now the attorney said that we need to wait until after all the refunds to come in and be spent on paying the mortgage, doing home improvements and other things. So, we are going to pay the mortgage in advance, get the dog's teeth fixed, buy me an adult tricycle, and buy paint and painting supplies for painting the inside of the house. We also need 6 ceiling fans installed. Or we may just pay 2 payments on the mortgage. Or pay one mortgage payment in advance and finish paying off the auto insurance for the year. I don't know, I need to call the attorney tomorrow and discuss it.
Now I have to answer the phone and track who-all calls me and there is the possibility that the creditor with the judgment against us will go ahead and garnish hubby's wages but we will only lose about $300 that way, compared to losing all the refunds. So the stress is on me to deal with all the creditors. I got so anxious about it that I had to take an anxiety pill by the time we got home and took a nap. When I woke up, I was feeling so much better.
This afternoon I was able to work and finish the photo box for my daughter, Cassie. It is a collection of photos from when she was born to the time she was 4 and we went to Disneyland in Florida. The pictures are mostly in order but some are out of order but adorable so I wanted to make sure she got them. I also have duplicates of the pictures to give her in case she wants to keep them for her kids. I am pretty proud how nice it came out. Now I just have to destress the box so it looks nice and number the dowels in each drawer so she will know what order they go in.
I also finished a present for my husband. I managed to get it done and he doesn't know it is for him. I am so happy! We ended up with a little bit of money to buy presents for each other and I am thinking about what else to get him, maybe some type of tool.
I am finished making presents for Christmas. The only things we need to still get is a gift certificate for my parents for Walmart, because that is where they are going to buy their paint and supplies to paint the inside of their house, and something for Cassie. Still pondering what to get her.
Tomorrow Holly is going to come over and bring sanding paper and different colored Sharpies for me to finish the photo box.
Now the attorney said that we need to wait until after all the refunds to come in and be spent on paying the mortgage, doing home improvements and other things. So, we are going to pay the mortgage in advance, get the dog's teeth fixed, buy me an adult tricycle, and buy paint and painting supplies for painting the inside of the house. We also need 6 ceiling fans installed. Or we may just pay 2 payments on the mortgage. Or pay one mortgage payment in advance and finish paying off the auto insurance for the year. I don't know, I need to call the attorney tomorrow and discuss it.
Now I have to answer the phone and track who-all calls me and there is the possibility that the creditor with the judgment against us will go ahead and garnish hubby's wages but we will only lose about $300 that way, compared to losing all the refunds. So the stress is on me to deal with all the creditors. I got so anxious about it that I had to take an anxiety pill by the time we got home and took a nap. When I woke up, I was feeling so much better.
This afternoon I was able to work and finish the photo box for my daughter, Cassie. It is a collection of photos from when she was born to the time she was 4 and we went to Disneyland in Florida. The pictures are mostly in order but some are out of order but adorable so I wanted to make sure she got them. I also have duplicates of the pictures to give her in case she wants to keep them for her kids. I am pretty proud how nice it came out. Now I just have to destress the box so it looks nice and number the dowels in each drawer so she will know what order they go in.
I also finished a present for my husband. I managed to get it done and he doesn't know it is for him. I am so happy! We ended up with a little bit of money to buy presents for each other and I am thinking about what else to get him, maybe some type of tool.
I am finished making presents for Christmas. The only things we need to still get is a gift certificate for my parents for Walmart, because that is where they are going to buy their paint and supplies to paint the inside of their house, and something for Cassie. Still pondering what to get her.
Tomorrow Holly is going to come over and bring sanding paper and different colored Sharpies for me to finish the photo box.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Today was a good day. I woke up early enough to do morning pages, watched my husband get ready for work and then waited for my friend, Holly, to come over with her daughter, Abbey. Now Abbey is only one and she helps decorate our Christmas tree. Today she took down all our ornaments, played with them and then had us hang them up where she pointed to again. Holly is working on one of those crochet beards that go with a hat. The hat she made is so big, it was swimming on her head! And this is the child size. We think she got lost on the pattern and started to follow a bigger size when she made it. It's easy to get sidetracked with a one year old. I am working on crocheting a cowl scarf for my hubby right now.
After a couple of hours of crocheting and visiting , Holly and Abbey packed up and headed home. My stomach was upset so I ate a couple of pieces of ham and went upstairs to lie down. I took a two hour nap and woke up refreshed and ready to tackle pictures. See, I am putting together pictures of my daughter, Cassie, when she was a baby to put into a photo box. It is a wooden box with 8 drawers and in each drawer are 6 dowels that have hanging picture holders. There are a lot of picture holders and you can put pictures in the front and back. I got one drawer done and was working on the second when these conflicting feeling came over me. In this pictures, there is a lot of her dad and his family. I was awashed with feeling of love, happiness, sadness and hat. I started to having a anxiety attack so I just left everything and come upstairs to take an anxiety pill and pet Kira, my corgi. Petting her and running my fingers through her fur always calms me down after a while. Tomorrow I will be able to work more on it.
So tonight I am spending upstairs in my bedroom, reading and playing on the computer while watching tv. My poor hubby was home yesterday with a spasming back so he is making up the time by working 10 hour days the rest of the week.
Tomorrow at 9am we have an appointment with our bankruptcy attorney to sign our documents and then the attorney will file them that afternoon. Then we will be protected by the court from all our creditors. The company that has a judgement against us will not be able to seize any money from our bank account or garnish our wages. So far I have managed to dodge the collector that I was supposed to pay on Monday and we just need to get through tomorrow. I need to call and get our car insurance switched over to Amica, cancel our current car insurance and cancel State Farm homeowner's insurance. We will get refunds from these companies but not in time for Christmas, which is probably good since we would be tempted to spend the money to buy bigger and more presents for everyone. We are having a small, personal Christmas.
The rest of the day I will be organizing and putting into place all the pictures of my daughter when she was little. I think I will be able to handle it a little bit better than today. I will probably take an anxiety pill before starting to work, wear a lighter shirt so I don;t get overheated like today, and turn on the fan. And remember that what happened before is in the past and that is where it needs to stay. It's hard, maybe this is why I have avoided this task until now. I really hope she love this.
After a couple of hours of crocheting and visiting , Holly and Abbey packed up and headed home. My stomach was upset so I ate a couple of pieces of ham and went upstairs to lie down. I took a two hour nap and woke up refreshed and ready to tackle pictures. See, I am putting together pictures of my daughter, Cassie, when she was a baby to put into a photo box. It is a wooden box with 8 drawers and in each drawer are 6 dowels that have hanging picture holders. There are a lot of picture holders and you can put pictures in the front and back. I got one drawer done and was working on the second when these conflicting feeling came over me. In this pictures, there is a lot of her dad and his family. I was awashed with feeling of love, happiness, sadness and hat. I started to having a anxiety attack so I just left everything and come upstairs to take an anxiety pill and pet Kira, my corgi. Petting her and running my fingers through her fur always calms me down after a while. Tomorrow I will be able to work more on it.
So tonight I am spending upstairs in my bedroom, reading and playing on the computer while watching tv. My poor hubby was home yesterday with a spasming back so he is making up the time by working 10 hour days the rest of the week.
Tomorrow at 9am we have an appointment with our bankruptcy attorney to sign our documents and then the attorney will file them that afternoon. Then we will be protected by the court from all our creditors. The company that has a judgement against us will not be able to seize any money from our bank account or garnish our wages. So far I have managed to dodge the collector that I was supposed to pay on Monday and we just need to get through tomorrow. I need to call and get our car insurance switched over to Amica, cancel our current car insurance and cancel State Farm homeowner's insurance. We will get refunds from these companies but not in time for Christmas, which is probably good since we would be tempted to spend the money to buy bigger and more presents for everyone. We are having a small, personal Christmas.
The rest of the day I will be organizing and putting into place all the pictures of my daughter when she was little. I think I will be able to handle it a little bit better than today. I will probably take an anxiety pill before starting to work, wear a lighter shirt so I don;t get overheated like today, and turn on the fan. And remember that what happened before is in the past and that is where it needs to stay. It's hard, maybe this is why I have avoided this task until now. I really hope she love this.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Today was a busy day to start off. I woke up early enough to do my morning pages, didn't remember any dreams but still had a lot to say. My daughter, Cassie, and her fiance had a knock down, drag out fight. One of those "if you are so miserable all the time, why are you with me?" fights that never lead anywhere good. So I told her about me and hubby, when we went through that same problem. And I told her she just needed to bear with it for another 18 months until he was out of school, then his schedule would be more like her's, early mornings. Right now Cass is working two jobs and he is only working one. He is lucky that the VA is going to pay for his school and living expenses while he goes to heating and air conditioning school. Originally he wanted to be an elevator mechanic, but that school was only offered in another state, so he settled for heating and air conditioning. By this afternoon, they had talked and made up.
I had therapy this morning, then two errands to run after. In therapy we talked about a bad dream I had where I ended up being mad at my mom and woke up mad at my mom. In the dream, my parents and I bought a mobile home. We hired 3 guys to set it up and do everything for it so we could live in it. The next morning I woke up early and found smashed beer bottles in the carpet, so I went to the guys and found out two of them had been drinking the night before. They had gotten drunk and smashed their beer bottles. So I told the two guys I was fining them $50 each and collected the money from them. Then I went and cleaned up the broken bottles. In the menatime, the guys start sabotaging the mobile home, cutting the power cords off of the lamps, doing little things badly, until my mom, wanting to restore peace, told the guys she was giving them back the $50 each and tipping them heavily on top of their pay. I was so livid, I lost face. How dare she! And that's when I woke up, still fuming at mom.
Steve, my therapist, and I talked about what might be going on in my life to make me feel like my mom had betrayed me. You know we are filing bankruptcy and I have been in charge of doing all the paperwork for it. Well, this is just like when I filed bankruptcy in 1992 with my daughter's dad, David. Only then he insisted the Big B was all my fault and when we got thrown out of our house and had to go live in a cardboard box under a bridge, it would be all my fault, too. We lost our house and a lot of different things. David took it personally and became depressed and when he was depressed, he wanted to drag me down with him. His emotional and psychological abuse was relentless. I barely made it out of that marriage alive. It took years of counselling to get to be the functioning individual I am today. But anyway, some of those feeling are coming through with this Big B. The saving grace is hubby doesn't blame me one bit for this, it was a joint effort and we haven't blamed either for this set back. This time we are keeping the house, we are not behind on payments. In fact we just refinanced the house and are skipping a payment and that payment is going to pay the fee for the Big B attorney to file the Big B. And the refinance allows us to change our homeowner's insurance to a better and bigger policy, finally covering us for the right amount of insurance in case the house is totally destroyed and needs to be rebuilt.
And tomorrow I am calling Amica, our new homeowner's insurance company, and adding the cars on the policy to get a multi-line discount. That discount is going to be paid for with the refund of the homeowner's policy, so will give us a little financial break too. Oh, and tomorrow I get to call State Farm and cancel our homeowner's policy from them and request a refund. I think they just got paid at the beginning of the month so we should see a big refund from them. That refund is going to pay for Cookie's teeth removal, one of our dogs. She has serious cavities in a few teeth and needs them removed. The refund is also, hopefully, going to buy me an adult tricycle, then finance our trip to see our pregnant daughter and her family. I have a double stroller for her, she has a one year old and is expecting her second in February 2015.
Everything is coming together and working out and I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But like Steve said, there doesn't have to be something bad happening just because everything is going our way. We can just be grateful to God for everthing He is putting into place for us.
One of the unexpected bonuses of refinancing the house is now my name will be on the deed and mortgage. Since we always pay our mortgage first, no matter what, it can only help my credit. And if my hubby dies, I won't have to go through Probate to get the house and pay gift taxes on it. Yeah!
After the therapy, I went over to our clinic and got a blood test, checking my thyroid and my blood sugars because of my diabetes. Then I went to the attorney to turn in the paperwork for the Big B. We now need to get our Pre-Bankruptcy counselling done so are going to do that tomorrow.
I told Steve I am trying to limit going out of the house to 3 times a week, otherwise I can't get everything done. He said that was a good goal.
I had therapy this morning, then two errands to run after. In therapy we talked about a bad dream I had where I ended up being mad at my mom and woke up mad at my mom. In the dream, my parents and I bought a mobile home. We hired 3 guys to set it up and do everything for it so we could live in it. The next morning I woke up early and found smashed beer bottles in the carpet, so I went to the guys and found out two of them had been drinking the night before. They had gotten drunk and smashed their beer bottles. So I told the two guys I was fining them $50 each and collected the money from them. Then I went and cleaned up the broken bottles. In the menatime, the guys start sabotaging the mobile home, cutting the power cords off of the lamps, doing little things badly, until my mom, wanting to restore peace, told the guys she was giving them back the $50 each and tipping them heavily on top of their pay. I was so livid, I lost face. How dare she! And that's when I woke up, still fuming at mom.
Steve, my therapist, and I talked about what might be going on in my life to make me feel like my mom had betrayed me. You know we are filing bankruptcy and I have been in charge of doing all the paperwork for it. Well, this is just like when I filed bankruptcy in 1992 with my daughter's dad, David. Only then he insisted the Big B was all my fault and when we got thrown out of our house and had to go live in a cardboard box under a bridge, it would be all my fault, too. We lost our house and a lot of different things. David took it personally and became depressed and when he was depressed, he wanted to drag me down with him. His emotional and psychological abuse was relentless. I barely made it out of that marriage alive. It took years of counselling to get to be the functioning individual I am today. But anyway, some of those feeling are coming through with this Big B. The saving grace is hubby doesn't blame me one bit for this, it was a joint effort and we haven't blamed either for this set back. This time we are keeping the house, we are not behind on payments. In fact we just refinanced the house and are skipping a payment and that payment is going to pay the fee for the Big B attorney to file the Big B. And the refinance allows us to change our homeowner's insurance to a better and bigger policy, finally covering us for the right amount of insurance in case the house is totally destroyed and needs to be rebuilt.
And tomorrow I am calling Amica, our new homeowner's insurance company, and adding the cars on the policy to get a multi-line discount. That discount is going to be paid for with the refund of the homeowner's policy, so will give us a little financial break too. Oh, and tomorrow I get to call State Farm and cancel our homeowner's policy from them and request a refund. I think they just got paid at the beginning of the month so we should see a big refund from them. That refund is going to pay for Cookie's teeth removal, one of our dogs. She has serious cavities in a few teeth and needs them removed. The refund is also, hopefully, going to buy me an adult tricycle, then finance our trip to see our pregnant daughter and her family. I have a double stroller for her, she has a one year old and is expecting her second in February 2015.
Everything is coming together and working out and I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But like Steve said, there doesn't have to be something bad happening just because everything is going our way. We can just be grateful to God for everthing He is putting into place for us.
One of the unexpected bonuses of refinancing the house is now my name will be on the deed and mortgage. Since we always pay our mortgage first, no matter what, it can only help my credit. And if my hubby dies, I won't have to go through Probate to get the house and pay gift taxes on it. Yeah!
After the therapy, I went over to our clinic and got a blood test, checking my thyroid and my blood sugars because of my diabetes. Then I went to the attorney to turn in the paperwork for the Big B. We now need to get our Pre-Bankruptcy counselling done so are going to do that tomorrow.
I told Steve I am trying to limit going out of the house to 3 times a week, otherwise I can't get everything done. He said that was a good goal.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Today started out with me waking up and immediately jumping into the Sunday paper, looking for the local food ads. Hubby and I planned what we wanted to eat for the week or longer. Spiral hams were on sale and even though it wasn't a holiday, we decided to get one anyways. That and a couple of roast would make good dinners and lunch meat all week. My ideal meal is ham, yams & green beans. Yummy! I could eat green beans all the time, I love them so much. We did have them so much that hubby won't eat them anymore.
Well, hubby went off to go shopping at 4 different stores; Costco, Walmart, Safeway and King Soopers. I stayed home to eat, take a nap, and play on the computer.
Hubby spent the rest of the day doing household chores, laundry, cooking, cleaning. Lots of things to do every Sunday.
I am reading a book called "Fair Game" by Elizabeth White. It is a Christian Fiction book about a woman who has 2 children moving back in with her grandfather. She had just graduated from Vet school and was hoping her grandfather would still offer her the 1000 acres of land he offered her previously when she married her high school "sweetheart". The kink is her grandfather all but sold the land to a guy she used to have a crush on. He wants it for a hunting camp and she wants to turn it into a wildlife refuge. She has a grant and he doesn't have a written contract yet. It is a kind of Christian romance. I have never read one before and it is nice.
We ended the night with watching some war movie about invading Omaha Beach on D-Day. Hubby's pick, not mine. It had John Wayne in it.
Well, hubby went off to go shopping at 4 different stores; Costco, Walmart, Safeway and King Soopers. I stayed home to eat, take a nap, and play on the computer.
Hubby spent the rest of the day doing household chores, laundry, cooking, cleaning. Lots of things to do every Sunday.
I am reading a book called "Fair Game" by Elizabeth White. It is a Christian Fiction book about a woman who has 2 children moving back in with her grandfather. She had just graduated from Vet school and was hoping her grandfather would still offer her the 1000 acres of land he offered her previously when she married her high school "sweetheart". The kink is her grandfather all but sold the land to a guy she used to have a crush on. He wants it for a hunting camp and she wants to turn it into a wildlife refuge. She has a grant and he doesn't have a written contract yet. It is a kind of Christian romance. I have never read one before and it is nice.
We ended the night with watching some war movie about invading Omaha Beach on D-Day. Hubby's pick, not mine. It had John Wayne in it.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Today was a great day. This morning I slept in from staying up until 230am the night before, eating fruitcake and drinking chocolate milk. It was a "we got paid after midnight so time for a middle of the night food run to the supermarket for fruitcake, frozen lemon meringue pie and chocolate milk for me. Beef stew and ribs for hubby. The frozen lemon meringue pie was for breakfast this morning. But I did my morning pages, something I haven't done in over a week! I had been required to get up and get moving out of the house early in the mornings so have been skipping them and that was a mistake. It felt good to do them again. Progress!
At 2 pm today we were expecting a notary from the refinance company to do the final paperwork for, you got it, the refinance of the house. The good news about the refinance is it is going to lower the payment for us, allowing us to make a good principal payment every month, paying our house off in less than 30 years, hopefully like in 20. Also this will allow us to skip a mortgage payment, so we can pay for the bankruptcy. And in a bit, we will get a refund of our escrow account, a refund from our old insurance company and a huge check of $64 from the refinance company. So after we have to start make payments again, February 1, 2015, we can start an emergency fund. After we buy me an adult tricycle and, a helmet. But we do have priorities, so maybe I will get my tricycle in time for spring.
So the notary showed up 25 minutes early, while i was fresh out of the shower. My hubby entertained her while I finished getting dressed. When I got downstairs, she was coffeed, set up and ready for us to begin signing our next 360 months away. Hopefully less. I know less!
We signed and dated more forms than I can count. The other thing we accomplished? I got my name on the mortgage and the deed to the house. Now it is officially owned by hubby and me, yeah! When we originally bought the house, my credit score wasn't good enough to get on the VA loan. This refinance was VA authorized and didn't require credit scores. Since the refinance let us fund the escrow account, we got to start a new homeowner's insurance company with a company called Amica. It is owned by the policy holders and pays dividends on your policy.
To celebrate, we were going to go to the movies to see the new Night in the Museum movie but it wasn't out yet, so we went out to dinner at one of our favorite places, Golden Corral. We had a fine dinner of steak and ham, with various side dishes. And we finished it off with rice crispie treats on sticks. Oh, and just before dinner, we went to our tax lady and got copies of our last two years of taxes, federal and state, with copies of the w2s, all for the Big B, which is the new name of the bankruptcy.
After dinner we stopped at Walmart so I could get Christmas Cards. And you know that you go there just intending to buy a couple of things, then next thing you know, you've spent $100. Well, cut that in half but it was still a lot more than we were planning on. A little promptitude Christmas shopping. Then we went home and settled in for the evening. By the time we got the dogs and cats all fed, cleaned up the dog food hubby pilled all over the floor, and carried in everything in from the car, it was 9pm. Hubby started working on rebuilding his database and I started in on Craigslist. Found the box turtle I wanted but someone else got him first. Bummer. Now we are spending the rest of the night watching movies, then blessed sleep. Good night.
At 2 pm today we were expecting a notary from the refinance company to do the final paperwork for, you got it, the refinance of the house. The good news about the refinance is it is going to lower the payment for us, allowing us to make a good principal payment every month, paying our house off in less than 30 years, hopefully like in 20. Also this will allow us to skip a mortgage payment, so we can pay for the bankruptcy. And in a bit, we will get a refund of our escrow account, a refund from our old insurance company and a huge check of $64 from the refinance company. So after we have to start make payments again, February 1, 2015, we can start an emergency fund. After we buy me an adult tricycle and, a helmet. But we do have priorities, so maybe I will get my tricycle in time for spring.
So the notary showed up 25 minutes early, while i was fresh out of the shower. My hubby entertained her while I finished getting dressed. When I got downstairs, she was coffeed, set up and ready for us to begin signing our next 360 months away. Hopefully less. I know less!
We signed and dated more forms than I can count. The other thing we accomplished? I got my name on the mortgage and the deed to the house. Now it is officially owned by hubby and me, yeah! When we originally bought the house, my credit score wasn't good enough to get on the VA loan. This refinance was VA authorized and didn't require credit scores. Since the refinance let us fund the escrow account, we got to start a new homeowner's insurance company with a company called Amica. It is owned by the policy holders and pays dividends on your policy.
To celebrate, we were going to go to the movies to see the new Night in the Museum movie but it wasn't out yet, so we went out to dinner at one of our favorite places, Golden Corral. We had a fine dinner of steak and ham, with various side dishes. And we finished it off with rice crispie treats on sticks. Oh, and just before dinner, we went to our tax lady and got copies of our last two years of taxes, federal and state, with copies of the w2s, all for the Big B, which is the new name of the bankruptcy.
After dinner we stopped at Walmart so I could get Christmas Cards. And you know that you go there just intending to buy a couple of things, then next thing you know, you've spent $100. Well, cut that in half but it was still a lot more than we were planning on. A little promptitude Christmas shopping. Then we went home and settled in for the evening. By the time we got the dogs and cats all fed, cleaned up the dog food hubby pilled all over the floor, and carried in everything in from the car, it was 9pm. Hubby started working on rebuilding his database and I started in on Craigslist. Found the box turtle I wanted but someone else got him first. Bummer. Now we are spending the rest of the night watching movies, then blessed sleep. Good night.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Today was a great day! We got up early in order to get to the bankruptcy attorney's office by 9am. I got dressed in my Red Hat gear, long sleeve silky purple shirt, knee length black skirt, and my red hat. I didn't know how long we were going to be at the attorney's and my Red Hatter's Luncheon was at 1130 today.
So we arrive at the attorney's office but got there 10 minutes early and no one was there yet, so we went back downstairs to wait in the lobby. At 9, we went back up and the secretary was there just opening up. She started us out with filling out the forms while the attorney showed up and made some calls. Soon we were in to see him. He was a nice guy and explained the different types of bankruptcy, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 13 was a restructuring of your debt so you could pay it back, which we had no ability to do, and Chapter 7, total absolution of your debt. Chapter 7 was what we decided was the only option for us. So we agreed on a retainer and then the fee. We got a massive amount of paperwork to take home and fill out, to bring back the next week by Tuesday. A bunch of documents needed to be downloaded and copied, which the wonderful hubby did while I went to my Red Hatter's Christmas Luncheon.
The Ladies of the Red and Purple Cloth met with the Dazzling Divas and we each brought a gift for the gift exchange. There was also 4 door prizes. The lunch was a limited menu, circle what you wanted, take it up to the cashier, pay and order at the same time. I knew I should have gotten the Cobb Salad but was torn with the Chardonnay Chicken. I chose the chicken but when it arrive, it was full of mushrooms in the sauce and there was no taste of wine. I was disappointed in my choice. While we were choosing what we wanted to eat, we were sung to by an accapella women's group. They were very good.
We had the gift exchange while waiting for our food and I got a rose ornament. I was a little disappointed but felt very happy when I got one of the door prizes, a statue of a female kneeling with white wings. Beautiful! And it is not Christmasy so can stay out all year.
The rest of the day I spent home relaxing and playing on the computer. Tomorrow I start crocheting again.
So we arrive at the attorney's office but got there 10 minutes early and no one was there yet, so we went back downstairs to wait in the lobby. At 9, we went back up and the secretary was there just opening up. She started us out with filling out the forms while the attorney showed up and made some calls. Soon we were in to see him. He was a nice guy and explained the different types of bankruptcy, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 13 was a restructuring of your debt so you could pay it back, which we had no ability to do, and Chapter 7, total absolution of your debt. Chapter 7 was what we decided was the only option for us. So we agreed on a retainer and then the fee. We got a massive amount of paperwork to take home and fill out, to bring back the next week by Tuesday. A bunch of documents needed to be downloaded and copied, which the wonderful hubby did while I went to my Red Hatter's Christmas Luncheon.
The Ladies of the Red and Purple Cloth met with the Dazzling Divas and we each brought a gift for the gift exchange. There was also 4 door prizes. The lunch was a limited menu, circle what you wanted, take it up to the cashier, pay and order at the same time. I knew I should have gotten the Cobb Salad but was torn with the Chardonnay Chicken. I chose the chicken but when it arrive, it was full of mushrooms in the sauce and there was no taste of wine. I was disappointed in my choice. While we were choosing what we wanted to eat, we were sung to by an accapella women's group. They were very good.
We had the gift exchange while waiting for our food and I got a rose ornament. I was a little disappointed but felt very happy when I got one of the door prizes, a statue of a female kneeling with white wings. Beautiful! And it is not Christmasy so can stay out all year.
The rest of the day I spent home relaxing and playing on the computer. Tomorrow I start crocheting again.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Unexpectedly, I got the day off today. Yesterday evening the bankruptcy attorney called and said that his staff had scheduled us our appointment with him when he had blocked out the time for another client and he would need to reschedule us. He was very pleasant, just sounded overworked. I thanked him for calling and we agreed to meet Thursday morning at 9am instead.
I got to sleep in this morning. I woke up slowly and pleasantly. I watched my hubby get ready for work, lounging in my pjs. Apparently he had gotten up quite early and went downstairs to pull up the bank accounts and found out that an error had occurred in the Window 7 upgrade and he had lost the keyboard and mouse drivers. So we are scrambling to move data off the computer in our home network so he can restore the machine. Something software technical that I haven't learned yet. We want to save some things that we have stored on his machine but don't have backed up anywhere. He had to leave for work before much got done.
I ended staying in my pjs and hanging out in the bedroom all day. I didn't feel good doing it but felt like I needed to be there as there is so much going on I am over-stimulated and anxious. I got a call from our refinance company that they had all the paperwork in and we set up a time on Saturday for the notary republic to finish up the paperwork. This is great because that is where we are getting the money to pay for the bankruptcy. And hubby and I will be able to get each other gifts sooner than January!
Today was mostly a laze day, the only thing I accomplished was to discover what I had been doing wrong on the mutant bulldog that made it a mutant. I decided to give up on the bulldog, not to give it to my parents for Christmas. I am going to leave it looking like a seal with ears and give my parents something to help them paint the house. I was very cleaver in asking my parents who they decided to get their paint from and mom went into detail about what they were going to use to clean the walls beforehand and more about what color they are doing the whole house in. She even mentioned she got my dad to wait until after the holidays to begin painting. They really want to get started. So for Christmas, we are going to give them a gift certificate to that store so they can get what they need to do the job. Give them something they need and can use right away.
Towards the end of the day, I ended up taking an anxiety pill, as everything started crashing in on me. My hubby came home for a late lunch and helped me calm down. So much was going on right now! And I feel guilty in not finishing the mutant bulldog. I decided to give it to my friend's daughter, she is only a year old and may find it's squished face endearing.
Tomorrow promises to be busy, starting off at 9 am at the attorney's. Then after that, sprinting away to drop hubby off at work. I will have a short time to wait before my Red Hat Society's Christmas Luncheon at 1130am. My present I have made is a beautiful lilac cowl scarf. I still have to wrap it tonight. These are ladies that place a great deal on looks so I will be taking my time or asking the hubby to wrap it nicely.
I got to sleep in this morning. I woke up slowly and pleasantly. I watched my hubby get ready for work, lounging in my pjs. Apparently he had gotten up quite early and went downstairs to pull up the bank accounts and found out that an error had occurred in the Window 7 upgrade and he had lost the keyboard and mouse drivers. So we are scrambling to move data off the computer in our home network so he can restore the machine. Something software technical that I haven't learned yet. We want to save some things that we have stored on his machine but don't have backed up anywhere. He had to leave for work before much got done.
I ended staying in my pjs and hanging out in the bedroom all day. I didn't feel good doing it but felt like I needed to be there as there is so much going on I am over-stimulated and anxious. I got a call from our refinance company that they had all the paperwork in and we set up a time on Saturday for the notary republic to finish up the paperwork. This is great because that is where we are getting the money to pay for the bankruptcy. And hubby and I will be able to get each other gifts sooner than January!
Today was mostly a laze day, the only thing I accomplished was to discover what I had been doing wrong on the mutant bulldog that made it a mutant. I decided to give up on the bulldog, not to give it to my parents for Christmas. I am going to leave it looking like a seal with ears and give my parents something to help them paint the house. I was very cleaver in asking my parents who they decided to get their paint from and mom went into detail about what they were going to use to clean the walls beforehand and more about what color they are doing the whole house in. She even mentioned she got my dad to wait until after the holidays to begin painting. They really want to get started. So for Christmas, we are going to give them a gift certificate to that store so they can get what they need to do the job. Give them something they need and can use right away.
Towards the end of the day, I ended up taking an anxiety pill, as everything started crashing in on me. My hubby came home for a late lunch and helped me calm down. So much was going on right now! And I feel guilty in not finishing the mutant bulldog. I decided to give it to my friend's daughter, she is only a year old and may find it's squished face endearing.
Tomorrow promises to be busy, starting off at 9 am at the attorney's. Then after that, sprinting away to drop hubby off at work. I will have a short time to wait before my Red Hat Society's Christmas Luncheon at 1130am. My present I have made is a beautiful lilac cowl scarf. I still have to wrap it tonight. These are ladies that place a great deal on looks so I will be taking my time or asking the hubby to wrap it nicely.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Today was a good day! Started out the day by convincing my hubby to sleep in. We lazed and relaxed, getting up just in the nick of time to get showered and dressed. Drove him to work and then I bounced down the way to Judithmary's place. Judithmary is the Queen of the Red Hat Society that I belong to. The Chapter is called The Ladies of the Red and Purple Cloth. It is a group of women fifty and over, getting together a couple of times a month, wearing purple clothes and red hats. We do things like having lunch, go see a movie or do crafts.
So I go over to Judithmary's and we assembled fun foam crafts of gingerbread girls ornaments. And she made a special Christmas hat for someone. The ornaments are for the Christmas Luncheon we are having Thursday. She bought a present for me to use for the luncheon but I have already made one, a lilac cowl scarf. Something one of the ladies can wear with her outfit.
After we were done, I left and dropped by the library to turn in some books, on my way back over to my hubby's work. I had to pick him up so he could drop me off at home and head on to Denver for the afternoon. I spend the rest of the day finishing another two toned lilac and royal purple cowl scarf. Several down and 3 more to go.
Tomorrow I will be working on the mutant bulldog and some more cowl scarves.
So I go over to Judithmary's and we assembled fun foam crafts of gingerbread girls ornaments. And she made a special Christmas hat for someone. The ornaments are for the Christmas Luncheon we are having Thursday. She bought a present for me to use for the luncheon but I have already made one, a lilac cowl scarf. Something one of the ladies can wear with her outfit.
After we were done, I left and dropped by the library to turn in some books, on my way back over to my hubby's work. I had to pick him up so he could drop me off at home and head on to Denver for the afternoon. I spend the rest of the day finishing another two toned lilac and royal purple cowl scarf. Several down and 3 more to go.
Tomorrow I will be working on the mutant bulldog and some more cowl scarves.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
12 days left until Christmas and I still have a lot to do. I have crocheting to do and gifts that I have ordered that have not arrived yet. I talked to my hubby and informed him his part of the season with a reason is to wrap everything. He aquas es, at least I think that is the word I am looking for. We have been invited to my sister's house for Christmas dinner and will eat with the rest of the family, my parents will be there, too. So will my sister's 11 children. One sister and 11 children. And now she is single and dating. Whatever.
Today was a good day. I got up, got dressed and took my hubby to work, then headed down south to our dentist, which is around the corner from where we used to live. Even thought we owe them over $500, since my insurance pays for cleanings twice a year, they let me set up my cleaning. At the appointment, my teeth were inspected, my gums were measured and then I was polished and flossed. The dentist came in and we talked about my visit. They had upgraded their office since I had been there last and now all the xrays were digital. It was so cool! Since the dentist said I needed a crown, I discussed our poor financial situation with him. In order to get my crown, I would need to make payments to the dentist or wait until I had all the money. I agreed to keep his bill out of the bankruptcy and continue making payments to him. My tooth is cracked in three places and has a chip out of it. The dentist is afraid it could come apart soon so I will need to get a crown next month.
After I received the good news, I drove back to my hubby's work and picked him up. We drove home, had some lunch and then he went back to work. I spent the afternoon crocheting and resting. My schedule is so filled right now, I am busy constantly. After the holidays, I can get back into walking the dogs or on the treadmill.
Today was a good day. I got up, got dressed and took my hubby to work, then headed down south to our dentist, which is around the corner from where we used to live. Even thought we owe them over $500, since my insurance pays for cleanings twice a year, they let me set up my cleaning. At the appointment, my teeth were inspected, my gums were measured and then I was polished and flossed. The dentist came in and we talked about my visit. They had upgraded their office since I had been there last and now all the xrays were digital. It was so cool! Since the dentist said I needed a crown, I discussed our poor financial situation with him. In order to get my crown, I would need to make payments to the dentist or wait until I had all the money. I agreed to keep his bill out of the bankruptcy and continue making payments to him. My tooth is cracked in three places and has a chip out of it. The dentist is afraid it could come apart soon so I will need to get a crown next month.
After I received the good news, I drove back to my hubby's work and picked him up. We drove home, had some lunch and then he went back to work. I spent the afternoon crocheting and resting. My schedule is so filled right now, I am busy constantly. After the holidays, I can get back into walking the dogs or on the treadmill.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
This was a good day. I woke up and had time to do my morning pages. My husband and I got up, showered and dressed. We ate a nice basic breakfast of scrambled eggs and english muffins with peach jelly. Then we gathered our things, the tickets, and went off to meet my parents at the Expo.
This was the Food and Gift Mart held annually that hubby and I had attended last year. There are so many booths and little shops with everything you can imagine. There were a lot of people this year that were selling dips that you mix with sour cream. We taste-tested our way through the Expo, even sampling a couple of wines, one I liked very much and the other, not so much. If I was Christmas shopping, there were a few things I would have liked to buy, but nothing jumped out at me and screamed "BUY ME NOW!!!" The only booth I agreed to be contacted later in the week was Town & Country, a food company. They offer a freezer full of food that you buy for the month or months at one time. They are going to call me on Wednesday afternoon to set up and appointment to come out, explain their products, and then cook us dinner. Hubby is adamant that he doesn't want them to come over but I am of the opinion that this might be a good thing for us. He has asked me not to set an appointment with them and I told him I would think about it.
When we came home, I laid down for a nap, while he started the laundry. Upon waking, I started a new cowl in royal purple and lilac for my daughter. I am going to take the solid lilac one I made for her and use that for the Christmas give for my Red Hat Society Christmas Luncheon. Hubby says he likes the two toned scarf better for Cassie anyway. Since I am doing the same thing over and over, I have gotten pretty fast so I think I can get it done by tonight, but by tomorrow for sure.
The evening flew by, stitch by crochet stitch. When it got to be 11pm, I put the crochet away and took the time to do a little reading of my favorite author, Dean Koontz. That, and a good night kiss from the hubby, made my night perfect!
This was the Food and Gift Mart held annually that hubby and I had attended last year. There are so many booths and little shops with everything you can imagine. There were a lot of people this year that were selling dips that you mix with sour cream. We taste-tested our way through the Expo, even sampling a couple of wines, one I liked very much and the other, not so much. If I was Christmas shopping, there were a few things I would have liked to buy, but nothing jumped out at me and screamed "BUY ME NOW!!!" The only booth I agreed to be contacted later in the week was Town & Country, a food company. They offer a freezer full of food that you buy for the month or months at one time. They are going to call me on Wednesday afternoon to set up and appointment to come out, explain their products, and then cook us dinner. Hubby is adamant that he doesn't want them to come over but I am of the opinion that this might be a good thing for us. He has asked me not to set an appointment with them and I told him I would think about it.
When we came home, I laid down for a nap, while he started the laundry. Upon waking, I started a new cowl in royal purple and lilac for my daughter. I am going to take the solid lilac one I made for her and use that for the Christmas give for my Red Hat Society Christmas Luncheon. Hubby says he likes the two toned scarf better for Cassie anyway. Since I am doing the same thing over and over, I have gotten pretty fast so I think I can get it done by tonight, but by tomorrow for sure.
The evening flew by, stitch by crochet stitch. When it got to be 11pm, I put the crochet away and took the time to do a little reading of my favorite author, Dean Koontz. That, and a good night kiss from the hubby, made my night perfect!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
I had a dream in which my father had made me so angry, I vowed never to speak to him again. I climbed up a built-in ladder to find 3 telephone books. At the top of the ladder, I stopped to put on blush.
I have no idea what any of this dream means. I woke up feeling slightly amused.
The rest of my day went well. I got up and dressed in my casual Red Hat Society gear with my red hat. I wore black pants and a purple shirt, black sneakers and white socks. Why the white socks? They are the only kind I have. I would like to get some dress socks but haven't so far. Ah, another thing to add to the list.
Today I had a Red Hat Clothing Exchange and Luncheon. My husband made my contribution, a cucumber and tomato salad with cheese. We used cut up sticks of string cheese, a little strange but the ladies seemed to like it. I tried on some clothes and walked away with 2 tops and an outfit that needs a little tailoring. The lunch was a bunch of different salads, jello salads, pasta salads, and other meaty salads. Chocolate popcorn from the Boy Scouts, of which I only had a taste. It was two chapters, Ladies of the Red and Purple Cloth and Dazzling Divas. We have been doing activities together and it has been fun. We had an activity of making a beaded ornament. We were given a Styrofoam ball, several types of rick rack, pearl beads, pony beads and headed pins. There was a silver tassel and ribbon by which to hang the ornament. Mine turned out to be very beady and fun. My index finger on my right hand is still a little sore from pushing in all those pins. Later, my husband has promised to show me how to add pictures to my blog.
By the time I got home, I was tired so I laid down and took a nap. When I awoke it was to the wonderful smell of brownies and here came my hubby up the stairs with a warm brownie and vanilla ice cream! Such a sweetie and great timing!
The rest of the night passed by quickly, relaxing after crocheting every minute I could. I am about to start two more cowls but since I am going to make another one in light colored yarn, I think I will try just making them one at a time. But working two at a time, one in the morning and one in the evening seems to work just right, so why mess with success. Only I do need a present for the Red Hat Luncheon so I will make a scarf for that, it should only take me two, maybe three days. Christmas luncheon is on Thursday so if I hurry, I can get it done. And I am getting fast. I will use the rest of the lilac ball for the new one.
Tomorrow hubby and I are meeting my parents at the Food and Gift Mart Expo that I got tickets for a couple of weeks ago. We will be home around 230pm and I can start my scarf then. The beginning of scarf always takes a while to get through but once I get it started, it should go pretty quickly. I will have to work on the mutant bulldog and the photo album later. Time is going pretty quickly to get to Christmas so got to make sure I don't waste time. And I can't get so busy doing things that I forget to write to my nephew in prison. He has said that my letters are a high light of his days.
So today was a good day. The weather was good, the company fine and the food was delicious.
I have no idea what any of this dream means. I woke up feeling slightly amused.
The rest of my day went well. I got up and dressed in my casual Red Hat Society gear with my red hat. I wore black pants and a purple shirt, black sneakers and white socks. Why the white socks? They are the only kind I have. I would like to get some dress socks but haven't so far. Ah, another thing to add to the list.
Today I had a Red Hat Clothing Exchange and Luncheon. My husband made my contribution, a cucumber and tomato salad with cheese. We used cut up sticks of string cheese, a little strange but the ladies seemed to like it. I tried on some clothes and walked away with 2 tops and an outfit that needs a little tailoring. The lunch was a bunch of different salads, jello salads, pasta salads, and other meaty salads. Chocolate popcorn from the Boy Scouts, of which I only had a taste. It was two chapters, Ladies of the Red and Purple Cloth and Dazzling Divas. We have been doing activities together and it has been fun. We had an activity of making a beaded ornament. We were given a Styrofoam ball, several types of rick rack, pearl beads, pony beads and headed pins. There was a silver tassel and ribbon by which to hang the ornament. Mine turned out to be very beady and fun. My index finger on my right hand is still a little sore from pushing in all those pins. Later, my husband has promised to show me how to add pictures to my blog.
By the time I got home, I was tired so I laid down and took a nap. When I awoke it was to the wonderful smell of brownies and here came my hubby up the stairs with a warm brownie and vanilla ice cream! Such a sweetie and great timing!
The rest of the night passed by quickly, relaxing after crocheting every minute I could. I am about to start two more cowls but since I am going to make another one in light colored yarn, I think I will try just making them one at a time. But working two at a time, one in the morning and one in the evening seems to work just right, so why mess with success. Only I do need a present for the Red Hat Luncheon so I will make a scarf for that, it should only take me two, maybe three days. Christmas luncheon is on Thursday so if I hurry, I can get it done. And I am getting fast. I will use the rest of the lilac ball for the new one.
Tomorrow hubby and I are meeting my parents at the Food and Gift Mart Expo that I got tickets for a couple of weeks ago. We will be home around 230pm and I can start my scarf then. The beginning of scarf always takes a while to get through but once I get it started, it should go pretty quickly. I will have to work on the mutant bulldog and the photo album later. Time is going pretty quickly to get to Christmas so got to make sure I don't waste time. And I can't get so busy doing things that I forget to write to my nephew in prison. He has said that my letters are a high light of his days.
So today was a good day. The weather was good, the company fine and the food was delicious.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
After having such a stressful day yesterday about money, today I took it easy and just crocheted. It was a very productive day, I am almost finished with Drew's and Cassie's lightweight cowl scarfs. Only a couple of more rows to go on Drew's.
As I sit here typing, my dog, Baby, who is still only a puppy at a year and a half, is playing with her little pig toy, making it oink and squeak. She likes to rub the rubber against her teeth and make it make noise. She will then stop and look away, like she is waiting for it to say something, then will suddenly turn back and grab it, making it oink again and again. This pig is purple with pink, orange and blue dots. Her other pig was green and eventually it got chewed apart. We found the squeaker out, then the pig got ripped and for a month she wandered around carrying a flap of green rubber, so we got her a new one. She was so excited!
In addition to the crochet scarfs, I got a really good deal on some bracelets and earring for the girls. I have two more scarfs to do, one for my daughter, Jessie. I am hoping I can continue working on them fast to get them done in time for Christmas. It's going to be a tight Christmas but one filled with love. I don't mind waiting until January to get a Christmas present from my hubby and I hope he doesn't mind waiting either. That's just the way things have to be for now. With filing bankruptcy, we have to make sure the basics are covered. As much as we would love to spend lots of money on presents, give everybody whatever they want, it is as unrealistic as it is foolish. Small tokens of our love and affection, just to let them know we love them and are thinking about them, are what we can manage. And frankly should be enough. I read an article this morning about a couple with 3 sons who cancelled Christmas. The boys were told that based on their behavior and lack of gratitude for all they currently have, there would be no presents for Christmas. They were to use this time to reflect on how bad their fighting was, how much they actually do have and how many other little boys and girls would love to be in their situation. The family will spend time doing things for others during the holiday. The interview with the family discussed how many parents will tell naughty children that if they don't behave, Santa will not come but no parents have ever followed through on the threat, until now. The boys talked about how there were not going to be any presents because they knew that they were wrong and they promised to do better next year. I admire the parents for doing this while the children are so young. I think the oldest was 7.
This bankruptcy promises to be a new start and will put us back in a good position and we will not make the same mistakes. We will save for what we want and pay cash. No more credit cards. Medical bills are tough, can't really help getting those. We will just have to stay on top of them and not let them pile up. Hubby and I will be sitting down and making a plan, a financial plan, after talking to the attorney next Wednesday.
As I sit here typing, my dog, Baby, who is still only a puppy at a year and a half, is playing with her little pig toy, making it oink and squeak. She likes to rub the rubber against her teeth and make it make noise. She will then stop and look away, like she is waiting for it to say something, then will suddenly turn back and grab it, making it oink again and again. This pig is purple with pink, orange and blue dots. Her other pig was green and eventually it got chewed apart. We found the squeaker out, then the pig got ripped and for a month she wandered around carrying a flap of green rubber, so we got her a new one. She was so excited!
In addition to the crochet scarfs, I got a really good deal on some bracelets and earring for the girls. I have two more scarfs to do, one for my daughter, Jessie. I am hoping I can continue working on them fast to get them done in time for Christmas. It's going to be a tight Christmas but one filled with love. I don't mind waiting until January to get a Christmas present from my hubby and I hope he doesn't mind waiting either. That's just the way things have to be for now. With filing bankruptcy, we have to make sure the basics are covered. As much as we would love to spend lots of money on presents, give everybody whatever they want, it is as unrealistic as it is foolish. Small tokens of our love and affection, just to let them know we love them and are thinking about them, are what we can manage. And frankly should be enough. I read an article this morning about a couple with 3 sons who cancelled Christmas. The boys were told that based on their behavior and lack of gratitude for all they currently have, there would be no presents for Christmas. They were to use this time to reflect on how bad their fighting was, how much they actually do have and how many other little boys and girls would love to be in their situation. The family will spend time doing things for others during the holiday. The interview with the family discussed how many parents will tell naughty children that if they don't behave, Santa will not come but no parents have ever followed through on the threat, until now. The boys talked about how there were not going to be any presents because they knew that they were wrong and they promised to do better next year. I admire the parents for doing this while the children are so young. I think the oldest was 7.
This bankruptcy promises to be a new start and will put us back in a good position and we will not make the same mistakes. We will save for what we want and pay cash. No more credit cards. Medical bills are tough, can't really help getting those. We will just have to stay on top of them and not let them pile up. Hubby and I will be sitting down and making a plan, a financial plan, after talking to the attorney next Wednesday.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The last several days have been so busy! Sunday my hubby and I took a drive out to Broomfield, 2 hours away, to see my daughter, Cassie, and her fiance, Drew. Bonus: we got to meet her future in-laws. I was very nervous, would I embarrass my daughter in front of her future family? Would I come across as slovenly and fat? Can you tell my self image need work?
Well, when we arrived everyone made sure we felt comfortable. I joined in the conversation, took a tour of the house and saw where my daughter sleeps. I always feel more comfortable having a visual image of where she sleeps. I also got a tour of Becky's, the soon to be mother in law, craft room. The very organized craft room. This is where she makes the professional crafts, at least they look so professionally made that they could be sold in stores! And organized, she has everything put away and labelled! Something I can only aspire to be. Becky comes across as being all put together. As much as I like her, I also find her intimidating. And I have to admit, I am jealous. She has a close relationship with Cassie and they all live in the same house peacefully. Something Cassie and I never managed to do.
The family took us out to lunch and we had great conversations. Hubby told lots of stories and we all laughed. When we were done, we headed back to the house and visited a little more before we left to go home. The drive was pleasant and the company of my hubby wonderful. The dogs greeted us joyously when we arrived home.
That very night I started crocheting a black cowl scarf for Drew and a lilac cowl scarf for Cassie. Both expressed interest in the florescent yellow/green cowl scarf I was making for her sister, Sarah. So of course I started crocheting my fingers off. I am over halfway done with each of them. The black one for Drew I can only work on during the day. Once it starts getting dusk out, the stitches are too hard to see. That's when I start working on Cassie's. Seems to be efficient.
So I spent all day Monday crocheting, from sun up to sun down and then some. Tuesday was a different matter, I spent half the day crocheting but then had to organize all our bills and debts, credit reports and accounts information to get ready to see the Consumer Credit Counselling Services today at 930pm. We have about $15,000 in debt that we just don't know how to pay. So we met with CCCS and went over our options. And since we can't come up with $700 extra each month for the next 3 years, our only option is going to be to file for bankruptcy. They gave us a list of bankruptcy attorneys and I had the joyful job of calling them and finding out fees. Apparently the attorneys can charge whatever they want for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, their prices ranged from $975 to over $1500. Filing fee is the same across the board, $335. The attorney who charges $975 is also one of the ones recommended by CCCS so I talked to them as set up an appt for next Wednesday at 930am. I have everything we need to fill out the paperwork, just need to come up with the funds. The refinance of the house should be able to help with that. We are just waiting for hubby to get his social security card or DD214 to come in. Then we will be set to do that too! It will give us the money we need to pay the attorney.
Tomorrow will be another day dedicated to crocheting my fingers to the bone. If I remember, I will walk on the treadmill during Dr Phil. Recent weigh in at 200 pounds.
Well, when we arrived everyone made sure we felt comfortable. I joined in the conversation, took a tour of the house and saw where my daughter sleeps. I always feel more comfortable having a visual image of where she sleeps. I also got a tour of Becky's, the soon to be mother in law, craft room. The very organized craft room. This is where she makes the professional crafts, at least they look so professionally made that they could be sold in stores! And organized, she has everything put away and labelled! Something I can only aspire to be. Becky comes across as being all put together. As much as I like her, I also find her intimidating. And I have to admit, I am jealous. She has a close relationship with Cassie and they all live in the same house peacefully. Something Cassie and I never managed to do.
The family took us out to lunch and we had great conversations. Hubby told lots of stories and we all laughed. When we were done, we headed back to the house and visited a little more before we left to go home. The drive was pleasant and the company of my hubby wonderful. The dogs greeted us joyously when we arrived home.
That very night I started crocheting a black cowl scarf for Drew and a lilac cowl scarf for Cassie. Both expressed interest in the florescent yellow/green cowl scarf I was making for her sister, Sarah. So of course I started crocheting my fingers off. I am over halfway done with each of them. The black one for Drew I can only work on during the day. Once it starts getting dusk out, the stitches are too hard to see. That's when I start working on Cassie's. Seems to be efficient.
So I spent all day Monday crocheting, from sun up to sun down and then some. Tuesday was a different matter, I spent half the day crocheting but then had to organize all our bills and debts, credit reports and accounts information to get ready to see the Consumer Credit Counselling Services today at 930pm. We have about $15,000 in debt that we just don't know how to pay. So we met with CCCS and went over our options. And since we can't come up with $700 extra each month for the next 3 years, our only option is going to be to file for bankruptcy. They gave us a list of bankruptcy attorneys and I had the joyful job of calling them and finding out fees. Apparently the attorneys can charge whatever they want for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, their prices ranged from $975 to over $1500. Filing fee is the same across the board, $335. The attorney who charges $975 is also one of the ones recommended by CCCS so I talked to them as set up an appt for next Wednesday at 930am. I have everything we need to fill out the paperwork, just need to come up with the funds. The refinance of the house should be able to help with that. We are just waiting for hubby to get his social security card or DD214 to come in. Then we will be set to do that too! It will give us the money we need to pay the attorney.
Tomorrow will be another day dedicated to crocheting my fingers to the bone. If I remember, I will walk on the treadmill during Dr Phil. Recent weigh in at 200 pounds.
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